Monster Train for Windows

Roguelike card game

Monster Train is a premium card strategy game developed by Shiny Shoe for PC. It's a deck-building card battle title involving demons, a train, and a race against time. In it, players will defend the last burning pyre of the Inferno from being completed extinguished by the forces of heaven.

Just like Slay the Spire and Roguebook, Monster Train boasts gameplay that requires quick thinking and tactics from players. They will need to defend multiple battlegrounds simultaneously from various enemies and scenarios. The game features multiple clans to choose from, as well as card upgrades and combinations.

Train to damnation

In Monster Train, the unimaginable has happened—hell has frozen over. The last burning pyre from the Inferno is now aboard a train bound for hell. However, the forces of heaven are out to extinguish the flame once and for all, and it's your duty to stop this from happening at all costs. To make things all the more arduous, you have to defend three vertical train cargo simultaneously.

There are five monster clans to do your bidding in Monster Train, each with its own unique strengths. There are over 220 cards available to you across 10 starter decks. Each clan has a champion that you can level up and upgrade multiple times. There are more than 21 unique random events to deal with and 25 difficulty levels to set depending on your proficiency.

Aside from the main campaign, there is also multiplayer gameplay that offers multiple game modes to play with friends. You can even create mods via Steam Workshop integration. There are some game balance issues when it comes to the difficulty though. Also, despite the large number of cards and decks available to you, the gameplay can feel a bit repetitive after a little while.

Game premise and mechanics

Monster Train's gameplay has three main objectives—to safeguard the artifact, vanquish the boss on every level, and maintain the health of the champion character. You have the option to join forces with any of the five clans—the Hellhorned, the Awoken, the Stygian, the Umbra, or the Melting Remnant. Interestingly, the game's latest enhancements have introduced a new clan named Wurmkin, which can solely be accessed after accomplishing Covenant level 1. Take note that every faction offers unique cards, spells, and champions that come with different powers to employ in tactics.

The game comprises multiple train compartments featuring a total of four floors. There's a boss and his henchmen on every floor, so you have to crush them at all costs. To get started, you need to select the clan of your choice, as well as your primary and secondary champions.  The unique characteristics of the game are due to its exciting battle system, which consists of play based on deck-building mechanics using your cards. 

The mechanics are straightforward: players start with three cards, one mana point, and up to five cards in their decks. The game is turn-based, and in each turn, you draw a hand of cards from your respective decks. As the game has capacity limits for allied and enemy units on each floor, it is imperative to employ strategic positioning. Additionally, spells can be utilized to increase your strength and influence the unit's placement. Aim for power-ups to upgrade your champion, elevate your units, and obtain passive bonuses. 

All aboard the hell express

Monster Train is a fun and challenging deck-building roguelike that features a unique premise and gameplay mechanics that have not been done before. Your clan and cards are highly upgradable, and there is a multiplayer mode that offers various modes once you're done with the main campaign, extending its replayability a bit further. If you like card battle games and roguelikes, give this one a try.